John Wild – Obituary

John Wild, who sadly died on 28th September at the age of ninety three, had been a member of the Civic Society from very soon after its foundation in 1968.

John Wild with Councillor David Clarke

An Architect by profession, he made his skills freely available and helped to stay the tendency of certain developers to vandalise parts of Newcastle which were rich in heritage. The project to save Maer Hills from totally unsuitable development was just one of the many causes he espoused, and he also gave valuable guidance in preserving Maer church from decay.

A very active member of the Civic Society, he served as Honorary Secretary and later as Chairman for many years, before being elected as President. In 2002 John resigned from the Society due to increasing hearing problems, and was elected an Honorary member to mark our appreciation of his enormous contributions to the work of the Civic Society.

On 18th December 2007 the Town Mayor, Councillor David Clarke, and members of the Borough Council decided to issue Certificates of Outstanding Service to certain valued citizens. John Wild was the first person to receive one of these prestigious awards, in a ceremony at the Civic Offices, attended by his family and colleagues from the Civic Society. With typical modesty, he felt that this was as much an honour to the Society as to him personally.

John Wild (left) with Councillor David Clarke and Jim Worgan (right)

John was a real gentleman, of great integrity. Polite, gracious and always ready to listen to others, but also a man of inner strength and convictions to uphold what he knew to be right.

He will be greatly missed, by his family, by the Society and by a Borough to which he devoted so much of his time and energy.